Former Twitter Lawyer Jim Baker was sacked, according to reporter Matt Taibbi on Tuesday. One of the reasons Musk dismissed him, according to Taibbi, was for “evaluating the first round of ‘Twitter Files’ without knowing about the new management,” which would obviously include Musk.
Taibbi claimed that the mechanism in which both he and journalist Bari Weiss revealed the Twitter Files was influenced by a lawyer close to Twitter’s new leadership; nonetheless, Weiss was taken aback after discovering that Baker was in control of releasing the files.
“My mouth dropped to the floor,” Weiss remarked.
Taibbi stated that Baker is a contentious person because of his connection with the Steele Dossier, which involved allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government in 2016.
“Baker is a divisive character,” he wrote. “From the Steele Dossier to the Alfa-Server debacle, he has been somewhat of a recording of FBI controversies dating all the way back to 2016. He resigned in 2018 when the results of an investigation were made public.”
Jonathan Turley, a nationally renowned legal professor, elaborated on Baker:
“Baker has been mentioned numerous times in the Justice Department’s Russian investigations, including the fraud involving the Russian Alfa Bank. Baker was the go-to contact for Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann when he tried to plant the odd false claim of a covert communications route between the Trump team and the Kremlin. (Baker later testified at Sussmann’s trial.) Baker’s name was also frequently included in the debates surrounding the other Russian-related FBI accusations against Trump. He was practically forced out owing to his role, and he is apparently under criminal investigation.”
Turley said that “Twitter seemed anxious to hire Baker” when he left the FBI.
Turley also claimed that Baker was a crucial figure in Twitter’s censorship of the Hunter Biden laptop narrative.
“In light of concerns regarding Baker’s potential role in suppressing material critical to public discourse, he has departed from Twitter today,” Musk wrote, revealing Baker’s resignation from Twitter.
“Yes,” Musk said when asked if Baker attempted to explain himself. “His explanation was…not convincing.”
